Microsoft's Windows 10 is recording your voice and your key strokes - here's how to turn it off

While Windows 10 has been generally well reviewed my users, fans of privacy are having a field day with how invasive the new operating system is.

Since the OS went into Technical Preview last year, security experts (and others) have warned that Windows 10 has a keylogger built-in and unfortunately, that keylogger is still there in the final retail version.

Microsoft, for their part, has never tried to hide it: "When you interact with your Windows device by speaking, writing (handwriting), or typing, Microsoft collects speech, inking, and typing information--including information about your Calendar and People (also known as contacts)," reads their own FAQ.

Thankfully, the keylogger can be turned off rather simply if you follow the following steps:

Head to the new fancy Start Menu and click on "Settings." Then click on "Privacy."

Under "General," the third option down is to allow your PC to phone home to Microsoft with info about how you write and type. No thanks. Toggle it off.

Head down to "Speech, inking and typing." Click on "Stop Getting to Know Me" and then finally "Turn Off." This should stop Microsoft from logging everything you type or everything you say to Cortana.

Finally, while you are in settings, it makes sense to look at "camera," "location" and "microphone" to see which apps have access to those sensitive features. It is important to remember that Windows 10 comes with a little bit of bloat so make sure if you haven't installed those apps that you check what they have access to.

We will continue to post this week with more reports on how to get back some of your privacy from Windows 10.

Instead of distracting from the real issue to impotently whine about what 'might' be possible for MS with an OS you haven't yet learnt or understood how to operate properly?

You can always unplug/disable your webcams/mics...and if your paranoia is so great why bother going on-line at all?
The joke is so many are more than happy to plaster any & everything about their private lives on all sorts of social media, and then moan about privacy.

I've yet to hear of MS trying to blackmail some sad sap for beating off to porn in front of his pc/laptop etc but I have seen it proven that various western Gov security agencies are collecting vast amounts of data on anyone they want (without the public even approving any of this)....and you don't need to have an MS OS for this to happen.

That worries me far more and is way more serious than the standard pointless fanboy BS on the subject.

Without the Option to turn off "Automatic Updates" shutting down M$ spyware is futile. Any and/or all future UPDATES could contain elements which RE-Activate the "Default Settings", or for that matter, Install even more Intrusive Spyware to your computer at any time. That is evidenced by Micro$soft's currently practised "UPLOADING (of Window$-10) TO" UN-reserved but qualified Personally Owned Computers, a.k.a. Private Property, WITHOUT the Owner's Consent. I used the term "UPLOAD" intentionally because Downloads are User Initiated while Uploads aren't.

Keep in mind that I have "NOT LICENSED" Micro$oft to STORE Their Spyware or other products,regardless of the space required, or USE My Personal Property in or for the Promotion / Expansion of "Their Business". Their Licensing of a Previous Product is not legal grounds for them doing so even if I had Reserved a "spot" in the "UPDATE / UPGRADE" process. Unless or Until "I" initiate a DOWNLOAD the "Right(s)" to OWN and CONTROL my Personal Property still belongs to ME.

Look at it this way . . . Just because YOU (or anybody) Bought, or more accurately applicable to this topic, LEASED a Ford, Chevy, or Chrysler PRODUCT in the past Ford, Chevy, or Chrysler DO NOT have the Right(s) to store their "UNUSED and/or UNWANTED" Products in your House or Yard without your permission. Since there is NO CONTRACT there are NO "RIGHTS" to call into question Legally beyond those of the "Property Owner".
So until Micro$oft FIRST Discloses its "Intent to Do So" in a Modification of the EULA previously accepted for the Licensing of a Previous Product and "Allow" you the opportunity to examine the new terms and to accept or decline those new terms then Micro$oft is basically a Squatter. Disguising or Obscuring such details only permits the Liability for such deeds to continue indefinitely as the property owner has the RIGHT to Challenge such misdeeds ONCE he or she becomes aware of the violation.

Before all you EAGER Micro$oft Defenders out there get your panties in a bunch consider this . . . Micro$oft, through its W-10 EULA is essentially Claiming your Personal Property to be Theirs ! Once you have agreed the only way to restore your Right(s) to "Your Personal Property" is to legally notify Micro$oft in writing via a Registered Letter and remove their Spyware from your property(Computer). Don't forget to Place your copy of that letter in your Safe-Deposit-Box. Oh yea, lets NOT Overlook the fact that W-10 has only been out a little over a month and already M$ is trying to "ABUSE" its authority to violate Your Right to own and control your Personal Property by "Retro-Actively" applying the W-10 EULA to previous Versions of Window$ through their "UPLOAD". But, but, but, didn't all the pundits say M$ would NEVER Abuse their Clients ??? Yes folks, Ignorance and it's cousin Stupidity are a matter of choice !

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 13 Sep 2015 @ 14:44

Instead of distracting from the real issue to impotently whine about what 'might' be possible for MS with an OS you haven't yet learnt or understood how to operate properly?

You can always unplug/disable your webcams/mics...and if your paranoia is so great why bother going on-line at all?
The joke is so many are more than happy to plaster any & everything about their private lives on all sorts of social media, and then moan about privacy.

I've yet to hear of MS trying to blackmail some sad sap for beating off to porn in front of his pc/laptop etc but I have seen it proven that various western Gov security agencies are collecting vast amounts of data on anyone they want (without the public even approving any of this)....and you don't need to have an MS OS for this to happen.

That worries me far more and is way more serious than the standard pointless fanboy BS on the subject.

I took your article seriously until I saw you wrote the word learnt. I stopped reading it after that.

All grammar to one side, the past tense of learn in the UK
(where they claim to speak real English is proper).

You can prevent the automatic update d/l and other bandwidth "appropriation" by checking metered connection.

Depending on the antics of MS, you may wish to block with your firewall, the 2 sites that collect the data for MS.

As a beta is would never shut down on my Toshiba laptop, as a later beta, it BSODed me to uninstall and add it to my Doberman's list of bow-wow. I await a visit from the thought police or Information Retrieval.

What ever happened to : The right of people to keep private in their homes...?

The best & only actual solution is to stop letting those we elect make & frame the law that allow & encourage corporations (just about all of them & they pretty much all now operate EULA's which are unbelievable) to operate in this way.

'Boring politics' is how they get away with it, turning people off the subject is how come they manage to enact these laws (not to mention the corruption of the lobby system).

The fanboy game is a sheer childish & pointless distraction from this real issue.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 15 Sep 2015 @ 9:13

Originally posted by Interestx: The best & only actual solution is to stop letting those we elect make & frame the law that allow & encourage corporations (just about all of them & they pretty much all now operate EULA's which are unbelievable) to operate in this way.

'Boring politics' is how they get away with it, turning people off the subject is how come they manage to enact these laws (not to mention the corruption of the lobby system).

The fanboy game is a sheer childish & pointless distraction from this real issue.

The best and only real solution is for Microsheisse fanboys
to stop electing the same political a$$holes into office
over and over again.
The head up the a$$ game is a sheer childish and pointless
denial of the real issue.

Originally posted by MagengarZ:The best and only real solution is for Microsheisse fanboys
to stop electing the same political a$$holes into office
over and over again.

I don't think most electors are MS fanboys, be serious.

Originally posted by AUDIOMIND: No, the absolute BEST solution is to first stop believing that electing your next (political) master is a solution to whatever ails you.

That's absurd, who else can & does negotiate, frame & set the national & international laws which allow corporations the world over to act this way other than our political representitives?

Originally posted by CarpeSol: Can we please keep these discussions on topic

It is the topic.

Firstly the way multi-national corporations behave has everything to do with current national & international law & secondly the silly , contradictory & illogical reactions (of some) to this is worth pointing out.

They criticise certain corporations for (potential) behaviour when we now know for a fact that our Gov's continue routinely actually indulge in much worse & it is our Gov's that could adjust & alter the law to stop these potential behaviours.

Instead of distracting from the real issue to impotently whine about what 'might' be possible for MS with an OS you haven't yet learnt or understood how to operate properly?

You can always unplug/disable your webcams/mics...and if your paranoia is so great why bother going on-line at all?
The joke is so many are more than happy to plaster any & everything about their private lives on all sorts of social media, and then moan about privacy.

I've yet to hear of MS trying to blackmail some sad sap for beating off to porn in front of his pc/laptop etc but I have seen it proven that various western Gov security agencies are collecting vast amounts of data on anyone they want (without the public even approving any of this)....and you don't need to have an MS OS for this to happen.

That worries me far more and is way more serious than the standard pointless fanboy BS on the subject.

U a mad blind fanboy that dont like people speaking the truth about your OS brah ?

Did you know windows 10 contains the same hidden folder thats non deletable as windows 8.1 its called winsxs and it stores all the old versions of windows files when you install a update in case you want to uninstall the update later and revert back to a older version.

The issue: if you delete this folder or any items inside windows 10 and windows 8.1 are told not to boot without that folder and the files within in place.